CTMH- Sept- Oct Mini Seasonal Catalogue- What you need to know

    What's new about this Seasonal catalogue, you may ask?  The biggest difference between previous minis/ Seasonals and this one is the length of time of its availability- only 2 months!!  What this means for you is if there's a product in the mini that you want, you will really need to buy it asap.  If- like me- there's a list of products you want then you'll have to build a budget, plan multiple orders and order strategically.  And something else to keep in mind, the minimum required order to qualify for a Stamp of the Month has gone up to $67.50 (in Canada) and the price of the stamp itself has been raised to $6.75 (in Ont, this means it will now cost $10.55 which is still a great deal at about a third of its regular price).

    What else is different?  Well, it seems this year leaves are a big deal.  Leaves show up in a variety of products; from Autumn Barn (D1888), in the Hostess Rewards section, throughout Hawthorn (I sooo love this paper pack, the designers really have a winner with this one!), including the H. scrapbooking stamp, D1873 (and Thin Cut bundle, Z3527), the H. Complements and Wood Shapes; in the sunflower stamp, Sunflower Sympathy (D1872) and including the Giving Thanks stamp (CC9192) of the Share the Season National Stamping Month Special, the October Stamp of the Month, Autumn Air and the spectacular Layered Leaves Thin Cuts dies (this one is HOT, it will be a small miracle if we don't run out of this one!).

D1888

Hawthorn

Layered Leaves Thin Cuts

D1872

Oct SOTM

    On to the Paper packs!  First up is Every Little Thing, a celebration of greens and blues, butterflies and flowers.  At first glance, it may appear very 'girlie' to you but there are enough dark hues to support even the ruffest and tuffest of 'boy' picts.  My friend and fellow consultant, Julie Carriere, was lucky enough to present this paper pack at the recent Convention in Utah.  She's a mother of 2 girls but she wanted to highlight the versatility of the pack by creating layouts all about boys.  She was able to create several layouts of boys being boys (see my boys!!), including a very muddy dirt bike racer- no butterflies here!

You'll find ELT available as a paper pack (X7248B), a cardstock set (X7248D), as Complements, vellum die cuts, as PML cards, as a Scrapbooking worksop and a card workshop.  New with this catalogue, you are able to purchase the paper pack with OR without a Sticker Sheet (X7248S).  And, this is a new product that will be available with paper packs going forward.  Also, if you have a look at the Cardmaking workshop, you'll see that Thin Cut dies are now INCLUDED!!  No more fussy cutting!!

    Next is Hawthorn!!  What can I say, I love it!  There's a definite 'cozy Fall' vibe coming from this paper pack.  The featured colors are all the colors of the turning leaves but with a solid grounding in Charcoal and Sapphire.  The Complements (X7249C) are printed on kraft- like paper and the coordinating embellishments are Wood Shapes (Z3543).  Images include classic cars and motorcycles, and deer's head to the aforementioned leaves.  The paper pack includes designs of leaves, plaid and corrigated cardboard.  Even the stamp from the card workshop brings on visions of layouts about a leaf- gathering stroll down a treed lane, surrounded by all the colors of Fall.  You'll need to stock up on this one for sure, as it's a very 'guy' paper too.  I can easily see this one making a return in a few years, under the Bring Back My Pack program.  But don't wait that long, it's only available til the end of October!

    Next up are the My Acrylix stamp sets.  You'll find a good mix of stamps in this mini.  From the expected Fall/ Autumn stamps, including Thanksgiving, pumpkins, sunflowers and Halloween themed stamps, to a variety of sentiments- hello, happy birthday, you're a survivor.  There's also a multi- lingual stamp- Just Married Banner (C1806)- which includes sentiments in English, French and Spanish.  And if you're big on animals and zoos/ safaris, then you MUST get African Safari (D1874), with the giraffe, rhino, zebra, elephant, lion and cheetah.  But hands down, the best stamp in the set is C1799- Perk Up!  It has a to-go coffee cup with paper collar and rim stain and is completed with the sentiments "I'm cocoa for you", "thanks a latte" and "happy Pumpkin Spice season"!!

    To round it all off, you'll now find the September Constant Campaign special- Share the Season included towards the end of the mini.  This is a new feature;  it is where you will find other, upcoming specials.  And like these time- limited specials, you will find the Stamp of the Months info at the end of the mini, also.

    So, that's the Sept/ October mini in a nutshell.  You can find the mini online here,  or the link is at the right also.  I hope this review will encourage you to pick up some of these products before they're gone, and inspire you to get out and take some photos of future, heart- warming memories, or to get in touch with an old friend with a hand- made card.    Either way, keep on crafting and have a colorful, cozy Fall!